Actor Terrence Howard recently made headlines with claims about a past opportunity to date music icon Beyoncé during her time with Destiny’s Child. During an appearance on the PBD Podcast in March, the “Hustle & Flow” star shared details about his intentional avoidance of romantic entanglements within the entertainment industry. Howard alleged that while he had the chance to date Beyoncé early in her career, he ultimately chose to pursue a different member of Destiny’s Child, specifically describing her as “the girl with the blue eyes.”

Howard recounted an incident where he believed Beyoncé alluded to his missed opportunity. He recalled her looking over at him and suggested that this was the reason she selected him to perform a particular “striptease dance” during the 2005 BET Awards, as if to highlight “what I had lost.” The performance Howard referred to was Destiny’s Child’s rendition of “Cater 2 U,” where each group member was paired with a celebrity man on stage. Michelle Williams performed with NBA legend Magic Johnson, Kelly Rowland with her “Dilemma” collaborator Nelly, and Beyoncé with Terrence Howard.

The actor admitted to feeling an attraction to Beyoncé at that moment, clarifying that this potential connection occurred “long before she was with Jay-Z.” Beyoncé and Jay-Z commenced their relationship around 2001 and later married in 2008, going on to have three children: 14-year-old Blue Ivy and 8-year-old twins Sir and Rumi. In contrast, Terrence Howard is a father of five, having been married four times to three different women. The discussion about Beyoncé on the PBD Podcast reportedly begins around the 17-minute mark. Billboard has since reached out to Beyoncé’s representative for a comment regarding Howard’s claims.